A Light amidst the Darkness
by Regardless1604
Summary: Like most demigods at the time, Shiloh Lawson is trying to find her place in the upcoming Titan War. But when her job is to live out a lie, how will she know what's real… and what's not? SoM from an unclaimed camper's POV. Second in series.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I finally got the second installment of Unclaimed Souls on. Phew... WARNING: THIS IS THE SECOND STORY IN A SERIES. If you have not read the first one I wrote, then I suggest you go read it RIGHT NOW, or else you're going to be very confused. The first story goes by the name of the series: Unclaimed Souls. It goes along the same canon timeline: the Percy Jackson books from an unclaimed camper's POV. Namely: Shiloh Lawson, my OC.**

**And before you start reading, I would like to say something to clear up any confusion. This first chapter takes place about, oh, five days before The Sea of Monsters, so this story is basically around the same general time of the second book, but it starts a little before it. S'kay? Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Full rights go to Rick Riordan, I just own my OCs. **

**Chapter One—Things Change**

Our feet sunk into the thick, plush carpeting as we walked down the long halls. I looked over at my friends and smiled: Levi Roday, Lee Fletcher, Vanessa Samson, and Rosie Howards. They were some of my closest demigod friends, but it was too bad that Ethan couldn't come with us on this trip. I pushed that thought aside and returned to the situation at hand.

Levi gave me a grim look. It almost resembled the same expression he had worn when his twin sister Harley had joined the Hunters of Artemis last summer. That was almost a whole year ago… that was a real life changing journey. In fact, if it weren't for Vanessa's older sister—also a Hunter—Levi would have died. She had given up her own life so he could keep his.

I turned to Vanessa herself. She grinned at me, radiant smile lighting up her face. For a daughter of Aphrodite, she was rather plain, but she was still pretty compared to other demigods. She had recovered amazingly since last summer, when we had brought back news about her sister. It had resulted in us bonding, and now… Well, let's just say I never thought I'd find another close girl friend after Harley left.

Except for Rosie, of course. Ethan, Levi, and I had found her last summer living in a filthy alley in New York City. We had brought her back to Camp Half-Blood with us, but she remained unclaimed too until just a few weeks ago. Chance has it that she can still live in the Hermes cabin with us, but she actually belongs there, unlike me, where I don't have anywhere else to go. But thankfully her godly parent claiming her didn't break our friendship.

Then there was Lee… nothing had really happened between us in the last year, but… well, hopefully that would change. I hadn't seen him half the summer, being gone and all, but the new summer session was almost upon us, and hopefully, just _maybe_, we would attend the firework festival together this year.

Yep, it had been a time of change last summer, some for the good, some for the bad, but all in all, my life had been quite eventful this past year. And surely you remember me, Shiloh Lawson, demigod daughter of who-knows-what-Olympian-goddess, but hopefully that would change too, just like my "just friends" standing with Lee.

Well, I _was_ holding hands with him as we continued walking. Except for the fact that I was holding _both_ of his hands. Behind his back. Lee looked over his shoulder at me. "Shiloh, you don't have to do this."

I smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but… this is what has to be done.

Levi grunted. "C'mon, girls, this isn't right!"

Vanessa, who was holding Levi captive, prodded him forward a little. "Stop talking, _prisoner_," She gave me another confident smile, like she was enjoying this.

Soon a _dracaena_ slithered past us, and gave us all suspicious looks. "You have found the ssspiesss? Very good, demigodsss, Luke will pleasssed. It mussst be a firssst for you all." She laughed a mocking hiss.

I kept from saying something spiteful to the snake-woman and kept walking on. Did I forget to mention where we were at the time? The crew aboard _The Princess Andromeda_ took us in warmly when we proposed joining the titans for the upcoming war.

Rosie stood in between us as we walked, a sword drawn across her chest, and her shield in the other hand. Vanessa and I were holding the prisoners, and altogether, the three of us looked like the perfect traitors of the gods. If Ethan could see us now, I know he would be so proud. But he wasn't here, he wasn't even at camp. Being unclaimed like me and Levi, no one would miss him. The Hermes cabin was full enough, and with the beginning of the summer session starting that week, it would probably get a few more kids in it.

We continued at a steady pace toward Luke's cabin. It was crazy to think that our common enemy last year was now leading us in a common cause. Well, except for the boys, or course. I cleared my throat. "You know, guys, you could still switch back."

"Over my dead body," Levi snarled.

I ignored him. "Lee," I pleaded, "Please, don't make us do this. You know I like you, I can't stand to turn you over so that Luke's men can do who-knows-what to you."

"Then just don't," His light blue eyes pleaded with me. "Please, Shiloh; If you like me so much, if you're such a good friend, _let us go_. Come back to the gods."

Vanessa laughed mockingly. "Why? Because they have cookies?"

Lee glared at her momentarily, but continued trying to look me in the face, though that was hard because I was behind him, prodding him forward. "I know you think the gods aren't the winning side, and maybe they're not, but how can you betray your own _mother_?"

I tried to keep a bitter laugh inside. "What have the gods ever done for us, Lee? What have they ever done for me and Levi? They're too ashamed of us to even _claim_ us." He tried to interrupt, but I kept going. "What about Rosie, huh? Hermes had to have known she was living in that alley; filthy, homeless, motherless, like a stray puppy. What did he ever do for her? _Nothing_."

Rosie tried her best to keep a straight face while I talked, but a pain-filled frown was tugging at the edges of her mouth.

"Lee, you have to see, the gods don't love us. Please, just stick with us." I put as much emotion as I could into my voice. It hurt me to have to bring my friends to this place, but… we had no other choice. Traitors to Kronos must be eliminated.

Lee didn't speak up again as we approached the doors to Luke's cabin. Rosie walked forward and knocked on the door with the back of the sword that the titan army had given her when we joined up.

The guards—two burly bear-men—opened the door and frowned at us with their hairy muzzles. They looked over the prisoners, then nodded for us to come in. Once we were inside and the doors were shut, Vanessa and I pushed the guys onto their knees.

Luke turned around, looking better than he ever had before. His eyes scanned us, then the prisoners, then back to us. He chuckled and nodded approvingly. "Very good, Shiloh. See, I knew you would come around one day." He walked right in front of us and pushed Lee and Levi's heads down forcibly. "You two are in _quite_ a bit of trouble."

I tried not to flinch when he did that.

Luke then looked at us. "I'm impressed. You caught the spies so… smoothly. Quickly. You have the makings of soldiers for the titan lord's army."

"Luk—I mean, sir," Vanessa looked down. "Uh… I was just wondering—and if I may ask—when are we going to get the things you promised us?"

Luke smiled kindly. "Just as soon as you do one more _itsy_ _bitsy_ task for me."

"Oh…"

"Oh, really, it's not that hard!" Luke assured us, then started pacing around the room. "Shiloh, your mother's identity," I drew in breath when he brought up our deals. "Rosie, your voice," The mute looked up anxiously. "And Vanessa, your dear, _dear_ sister."

I still wasn't sure how Luke was planning to bring someone back from the dead, but I'm sure he had his ways.

"You all can have these instantly," He stopped pacing, then smiled evilly, his scar reflecting the look. "As soon as you _kill_ these traitors."

I gulped. Would it really be worth it to kill my friends? I looked over at Rosie, who was staring far off, seeming to imagine having her voice back. I turned back to my two friends who were on the ground, pleading silently with us to stop.

I bit my lip hard, until I could taste blood. It felt like my heart was being ripped in two pieces inside of my chest.

I was torn out of my thoughts when I heard something on my far right. I looked over to Vanessa, who was unsheathing her sword. There were tears forming in her eyes. "Sorry, Levi, but Isabella should've let you die… so that I wouldn't have to kill you myself."

"N-no, Vanessa, please—" he tried to plead.

"No!" She screamed, cutting him off. "You let her _DIE_! The _gods_ let her die!" Her voice was broken by sobs.

Luke walked over to us. "That's right, Vanessa, they _didn't_ care. They issued her that terrible prophecy, and they deserve to fall for it, along with everything else they've done to their children."

I blinked. There was that prophecy again. The one that Ethan knew, but wouldn't tell me. Vanessa must not have known about it either, a puzzled look playing on her face.

"Wh-what prophecy? What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, really." Luke waved it aside and motioned to her sword. "Is this your decision?"

My hand reached for the sheath attached to my belt. Before it could reach my sword's hilt, though, Lee grabbed it.

"Shiloh, please," was all he said.

I squeezed his hand, trying to send him a silent message, but forced myself to let it go. "No, Lee, I have to do this," I took a deep breath. "For my master." I tried to slide out my sword, but all I grabbed was open air. I looked down at my sheath and cursed silently, having left my weapon back in the room. I looked at Rosie, and she handed me her sword. She had never really been good with it anyway.

The bear twins came over, and forced our friends to bend over, execution style. I looked at Vanessa, who had tears streaming down her face. She raised the sword above Levi's neck, and tried not to look.

"I'm sorry," was all I could choke out as a stray tear left my own eye. I raised the sword, the dull iron gleaming evilly.

Yep, a lot of things had changed since last summer.

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><p><strong>AN: A bit confused? Anxious to know exactly _what_ the Hades is going on here? Angry and really annoyed that I dropped such a random first chapter on you and you have no idea why or how or when or what? Good. The next chapter will start a series of flashbacks that lead up to this point, so all your questions shall be answered in due time. Oh, and reviews are always welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, I have two things to say. One: I changed my penname to Regardless1604. I'm still HarvestMoonAddict, but I decided a change would be good. So if you see my new name in your favorites list and can't figure out who I am, well, now you know. Two: Updates for this story are going to be really slow until sometime in January. I'm sure you know how busy Christmas time can be. Thanks for understanding, and please enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but this story.**

**Chapter Two—Friends Part Ways**

_Two weeks earlier…_

"Wait, hold on a second," Levi held his hands up. "What do you mean by 'I'm leaving'? It's because Rosie got claimed, isn't it?" He looked at him suspiciously.

"No, it's not because she got claimed. Just… don't say things like that!" Ethan Nakamura exclaimed, the noonday sun shining off of his black hair. "But I meant exactly what I said: I'm leaving camp."

"B-but why?" I asked. "Why on earth would you want to just _leave_? This is the only safe place for us!"

"Shiloh, I want to live life. Here… I can't do that. My mother doesn't want to claim me, so why should I stick around?" He shouldered his pack. "There's places I want to see, people I want to meet."

Levi shook his head. "You're never like this—you're not the adventurer type! What's gotten into you? Where's the Ethan we know?"

Ethan laughed, which I had to admit was a strange sight. He wasn't the type to laugh at little things like that, especially when it came out of Levi's mouth. "Maybe change will be good for me."

I looked at him, and definitely saw that there was something else behind his reason for going so abruptly, and I'm pretty sure Levi could sense it too. "Ethan…" I started slowly. "Why are you _really_ leaving?"

His eyes looked like they were seeing something far away, even though he was only looking down into the valley that Camp Half-Blood was hidden away in. We had all lived there for what, two, three years together? I had been there for four years, and Ethan longer. I didn't see why he wanted to leave so suddenly.

After a few moments, Ethan shook his head. "Guys, I wish it wasn't true."

"What?" Levi asked. "That you weren't leaving? Just don't go, then!"

Ethan shook his head, and looked at our friend with his normal seriousness. "Levi, there's a war coming. You may not realize it yet, but a lot of people are going to _die_."

Levi looked at him with disbelief. "So… you're just bailing on us? You're just trying to save _yourself_?"

"No!" Ethan exclaimed, then regained his composure. "I-I'm checking something out. It could help camp in the upcoming year."

"Wait," I cut in, "They issued you for scouting? Why you?"

Ethan looked around frantically, even though there was no one on the hill with us. "Hush down! They didn't even ask me if I would help with anything. This is more of a… solo thing for me. I haven't told anybody about it until now."

"Cool," Levi nodded his head. "So, you're going all rogue? Can we come too?"

"No, it's too dangerous," Ethan objected.

"Nothing's 'too dangerous'!" I said with disbelief. "Do you not remember what we did last summer? We were running for our lives!"

He turned to me and shook his head. "No, you don't understand. This is different; _I'll_ probably die."

"Then why are you going?"

"Because I need to do this! Okay?" His eyes were so intense, I didn't say anything else. Levi just looked between us, confused, and Ethan sighed. "I'm sorry, Shiloh, Levi… but I need to get going."

He turned to go, and I clenched my jaw, and Levi mouthed _what's happening?_ to me. This was just so… sudden—neither of us was expecting this.

Before he started walking, Ethan turned his head toward us hesitantly. "…Iris Message me?"

I smiled and took a few steps closer to him. "Of course! And… one last hug, for good luck and all?"

"I don't believe in luck." He said bluntly, but still accepted my hug with a smile. When we separated, he looked at Levi. "You want one too, don't you?"

Levi shook his head no, and looked like he was afraid to talk, like his voice might crack.

Ethan gripped his shoulders, and looked him square in the eye. "You take care of Shiloh and Rosie, I'm not going to be here anymore."

I pretended to be miffed. "Gods, Ethan, you don't think I can take care of myself? Some friend you are."

He smiled. "You two stick together, no matter what happens. We've been through a lot together, but now it's my time to set off on my own. I have my own duties, and you guys have yours."

I swallowed hard. "A-are you sure you have to do this?"

"Yeah, I am." He looked down. His dark eyes were so full of determination, but there was still so much confusion mixed in with them. At the time, I didn't realize that would be the last time I saw both of his eyes still intact. He readjusted his bag, and took one more look at Camp Half-Blood. It seemed like he knew he would never come back, but I didn't want to think that was true.

"Well," he said after the silence. "I'll be seeing you… sometime. Oh, and if Harley ever visits camp for some reason, tell her 'hello' for me, okay?"

We nodded, and hung our heads.

"Come on, don't look so down. We'll meet again, I'm sure of it." He said it with so much sincerity, it was hard not to believe that it was true. And with those last words, Ethan, our longtime friend—hey, three years for a demigod _is_ a long time—trudged down the other side of Half-Blood Hill, and out into the mortal world.

Levi blinked a few times. "What just happened?"

"Honestly, Levi, I'm not really sure."

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><p>There was a spot open at the Hermes table that night at dinner. There was a seat unfilled at the campfire that night. There was an empty space on the floor of the cabin we slept in every night. There was a hollow void in our hearts. Ethan's presence at camp had always filled those holes, but now they were just sitting there, yearning for something to fill them.<p>

Honestly, it wasn't much different than when we had gotten back to camp last summer without Harley. But with her case, we actually knew where she was, what she was doing; that she was safe. But with Ethan… It felt different. It was like there was an ominous cloud hanging over us, and we had no idea where he was going or whether he would be safe. It was a little scary.

The rest of the Hermes cabin didn't seem to care, though; I don't think they even realized there was a camper missing. It was only different to Levi, Rosie, and me. No one else was bothered by Ethan's absence.

And so we went to sleep.

Honestly, I wished I had dreams that night, even though dreams for demigods are terrifying, and usually bring bad omens. I wanted to try finding Ethan through my sleep, but I had no such luck. Nothing came to me, not even a normal mortal dream. For the past few months, my dreams had just… stopped. I mean, I was thankful that I stopped having nightmares about the titan lord, but still…

Ever since we came back from our adventure last summer, Kronos hadn't bothered me. Luke didn't come back to camp and kill us, and no monster attacks happened—well, besides any that were out of the ordinary, that is. Life was good.

Well, we all know that when things are going right, it's bound to go downhill real soon. You would think that as demigods, we would expect that, right? Hah, it's not likely. What was about to happen in a matter of days would take the entire camp by surprise.

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><p>The next morning after breakfast, on our way to archery with the Apollo campers, Lee Fletcher ran up behind me. "Hey," He looked around. "I didn't see Ethan last night, and he's not here this morning… Did he go somewhere?"<p>

This question took me by faint surprise. Lee and Ethan—well, they were never really _friends_. Not that they didn't like each other, it was just that they didn't really talk. Ethan's whole "stay away from claimed kids" thing had worn away a little since our run last year, but he was still wary of being close with any campers who knew who their godly parents were. Before I had come to camp, he was friends with Vanessa's full sister Isabella, making her a child of Aphrodite. It wasn't until after she joined the Hunters of Artemis that he started feeling hatred for claimed demigods.

In turn, Lee was never close to Ethan. He tried, but more often than not, Ethan would shut himself away from him. He tried to be at least a little friendly with Lee, for my sake, but it never really worked out. So, I wasn't really expecting that question.

"Yeah, about that…" I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "He, uh… hmm…"

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." he said softly.

In front of us, Levi was chatting with Rosie, but it was more of a one-sided conversation, with Rosie being mute and all. He stopped talking when he heard Lee's question, and he turned around, looking like he wanted to say something. Nothing came out when he opened his mouth, and he looked down.

"C'mon, Rosie, there's something I need to tell you…" He dragged the girl forward, like he thought it was better if Lee and I talked alone. Well, if you could consider "alone" in the middle of crowd.

We just kept walking in silence, but Lee spoke up again. "He left, didn't he?"

I nodded.

"Shiloh… Ethan was always… troubled. He never seemed to have the answers he was looking for, he was always confused… maybe he's just trying to find himself."

I swiped the hair out of my eyes. "H-he's unclaimed. What do you expect?" My voice trembled, and I tried to steady it. "And… he's not just leaving to 'find himself.' He's… he's checking something out that he thinks will aid us during the war." My voice went down to a hush.

He blinked, then shook his head. "N-no. There's no way…"

"What?"

Lee shook his head even more. "I didn't think other people knew about that… This is bad. If he's trying to find what I think he is… no, this is very, _very_ bad."

"What do you mean? What's bad?" I asked. He looked so frantic, it started to bother me. "What do you know?"

"Dreams, Shiloh—dreams are very important. You find things out with them." He started walking faster. "I-I have to go." Lee walked in the other direction, most likely back to his cabin.

I had no idea why he was so shaken up—and besides, how was I supposed to learn things if dreams weren't haunting me at night? What did he know about Ethan, and why did it sound like my friend was heading towards doom?

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><p><strong>AN: Thanks for reading :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, I feel bad. A month long update and _this_ is all I can give you guys? I'm a terrible author... This is just a filler chapter, nothing much happens in it. But hey, I've been sick recently! And besides, the plot bunnies only visited me on every story but this one. I know, that's no excuse... So, uh... enjoy, if I can really even say that...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO.**

**Chapter Three- Blessing or a Curse?**

Lee avoided the topic of Ethan's trip as much as possible for the next few days. I'm not sure why, but… that really bothered me. Maybe he just didn't want to scare me or something, but not knowing what's in the future is worse than waiting and having your worst fears haunt you about it. At least, that's what I tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen.

"Shiloh, I would like to pretend you know what you're talking about. Most rational people would say the same thing." He shook his head as we walked towards to the cabins from the strawberry fields.

"But…" I bit my lip. How on earth could I put this to make him understand? "I'll always be wondering what's going to happen! I'll always be worried, and one day I'll become all jumpy and paranoid from always wondering about the future!" I cringed and made a twitching face.

He chuckled softly, but his face became solemn quickly. "Knowing the future is never a good thing…"

"But—"

"No, really." He cut me off. "Like, take the Oracle for instance," He waved his hand to the top floor of the Big House as we passed by, and the curtain seemed to sway from an unseen wind. "She was despised for her abilities—people hated her simply because she told them things they didn't want to hear, though it _was_ their inevitable future. She was just the messenger. And I bet that at least one—if not all—of the past Oracles was scarred for life by the terrible things she had seen through her dreams. I mean, you can only imagine what happened to the last one to make her the way she is now."

He had a point, but he wasn't letting me make mine. "This is off topic! We're not talking about the Oracle of Delphi here; we're talking about what terrible things are going to happen to my best friend!" That last sentence came out a little louder than I had meant it to, and a few of the surrounding campers gave us weird looks.

Lee grabbed my shirt sleeve and pulled me over to a tree where no one seemed to be. We sat down in the grass, which was browning from the summer heat. "I wouldn't talk so loud about people's tragic fates if I were you!" He hissed.

My eyes widened. "So something bad _is_ going to happen! I knew it!"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Please, tell me what you know. You said you were having dreams about the future, you _must_ know something!" I almost lost control of my steady voice.

He looked out at the canoe lake, eyes almost the same color as the bright blue sky. "I… I only see snippets, every now and then when I go to sleep. It's nothing I can really piece together, but I know something terrible is going to happen in the next few years—probably having to do with the war coming up."

"Anything about Ethan?"

He opened his mouth, but hesitated. "I've already said too much. I'm sorry," He got up and brushed himself off. "I have to go."

I grabbed his hand before he could walk away, and our eyes locked for a brief second.

"Lee…" I started softly. "You have a gift. You could use it to help us all."

His face was pained. "I-it's not a gift—it's nothing near that. Seeing the future is a curse, and that's all it will ever be." He pulled his hand out of mine, and walked away without another word.

I just leaned my head against the rough bark, my body not willing me to make any other moves. "Why…" I murmured. "Why do I have to be stuck in a situation like this…?"

No more than a minute later did Vanessa Samson come jogging by, with her honey brown hair being tossed in the light wind. She was smiling and chatting with a few of her half sisters, and a pang of jealousy went through me. I tried to swallow it down, but it stayed like a lump in my throat. Sometimes… sometimes being close friends with claimed demigods hurt worse than being unclaimed in and of itself. It's like a knife, constantly stabbing at undetermined half-bloods, reminding us that our parents don't love us enough to even recognize their own children. And who knows, I could be best friends with one of my own half siblings and never even know it! The gods hate me and I would never find out why…

_Kronos_. I blinked a few times. That last thought could not have been from my own mind. My heart started racing, as I realized how much influence he still had in my mind. _This is bad… This is bad…_

I took a deep breath. _Lawson, you've gotta be tougher than this! Don't let him put these thoughts in your head! Keep control of your own self! There's a reason you're still unclaimed—you'll find the answers one day. Yeah, if one day means never… _I shook my head, trying to wring out any remaining traces of self-pity and fear as my friend approached me, no longer with her siblings.

"Hey Shiloh!" Vanessa chirped as she looked down at me. "What are you doing just sitting under this tree?"

"Nothing much," I sighed.

She tilted her head. "Hmm…"

"'Hmm' what?"

"You're a wreck today!"

"Gee, thanks…"

She laughed. "No, I mean, like, is something bothering you?"

I forced a smile and stood up to face her. "No, nothing at all. It's just any other day at camp."

She grinned. "Good! And hey, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it?" I asked as we started walking.

"Well," She laced her fingers together and looked around at the scenery, her eyes meeting everywhere but mine. "This… this is going to sound awkward."

"Hey," I held up my hands. "One of my friends is Levi Roday—I've heard plenty awkward over the years."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked away, a light blush on her cheeks. "Yeah, hah… it's about, uh, him."

I raised an eyebrow, venturing to what she could possibly be getting at. "And?"

"Well, um, like, do you know if he, er, _likes_ anybody?"

I almost started laughing. "_Levi_? Like a _girl_?"

She put her head down.

"Wait, you don't seriously—you—him…?"

"What can I say?" She smiled. "I have a thing for curly gingers."

"That's…"

"So, do you know if he's into any girls here?"

I pushed the bangs out of my eyes, leaving my hand on my forehead as I thought about that. "To tell the truth, Vanessa, I have no idea. For all I know, he could be madly in love with _me_ and would never even hint at it. It's hard to tell these things with that boy."

"Oh… well, I assumed you would know cause you two are, like, the closest people ever. I thought maybe you would know what to do about this?"

"An Aphrodite girl asking my advice about 'love'?" I mock gasped. "I thought this day would never come!"

Vanessa looked away. "I told you this would be weird!"

"Well, I don't know what to tell ya."

She was silent for a few minutes until we reached the fire pit in the middle of the ring of cabins. "Well, do you think he likes movie stars?"

I just stared at her. "Where did that come from?"

"Well, I want to be an actress when I grow up." She got a dreamy look in her eyes. Then, before I could respond, she suddenly collapsed on the ground, narrowly missing cracking her head on the edge of the brazier.

I knelt down next to her. "Vanessa? Are you alright?" When she didn't respond, panic rose up into my throat. What just happened to her? "Vanessa! Get up!" I started shaking her. "Get up!" No response. "Medic!" I yelled. "I need a medic!"

Her eyes suddenly flicked open. "No! Don't! I'm fine!"

It took me a second to calm down, and I waved away the Apollo camper who had rushed over.

"What in the name of Zeus almighty was that about?" I demanded, and thunder rumbled lightly in the distance. "You scared me!"

She smiled like nothing was wrong. "I told you I want to be an actress!"

"You didn't have to _prove_ it to me!" I gritted out. "Come on, get up."I yanked her up off of the ground.

"So, will you help me?"

"Fine, but no more pulling stunts like that!" I said in exasperation, and we shared a light laugh.

"Okay, how about we meet in the Big House at noon tomorrow to talk about this? I have to get to my cabin to discuss some important matters with my siblings right now."

"Oh, you mean to gossip and talk about all the latest fads?"

"You know me so well!" She winked, and walked off to the bright pink cabin.

I sighed. _Wonder what it would be like to have brothers and sisters like that…_

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><p><strong>AN: I told you this wasn't a very interesting chapter. Blah D: But I promise I'll try to get this updated quicker than I just did! I just need the plot to really take off already...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh look, an update! So, I hope this whopping five thousand word chapter makes up for that sorry excuse for... well, whatever chapter three was. Really, that chapter is embarrassing to me as the author -_-' But I'm happy with this one! So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my OCs.**

**Chapter Four- Big Plans**

The campfire was set up just like every night, but I didn't go. Neither did Levi. We… we just couldn't bring ourselves to do it. Days of putting on a fake front of peace was too much. I know we would have to get over the fact that Ethan was gone at some point, but not now. We had lost two in our family of four—Ethan, Harley, Levi, and me—and now all that we had left was each other. Not that we didn't have friends, but being unclaimed automatically puts you in a family of misfits, then those misfits become little families of their own, even though there's a good chance that no one would even be related in it. Except the fact that Levi and Harley were twins, that's how it was with the four of us. _Was_.

It's not like we were distant from the other undetermined children, though. We all knew each other by name—sometimes being the only ones who did. We knew each other's likes and interests, but we weren't always the closest. But sometimes, on occasion, we took comfort in each other, all of us. That's how it was that night when we walked into the almost empty Hermes cabin as the campfire just got started.

Some of the others were littered around the room, looking down-trod and lonely. A few faint smiles were flashed at me and Levi as we walked through the doorway, the frame starting to fall apart. We returned them, but the heavy feeling in my chest only chipped away slightly, almost unnoticeably. We sat down in our spots on the creaky wooden floor, and no one spoke. We just took part in the company, silence creating walls between us.

After minutes of nothing, a small voice spoke up. "H-he's gone for good, isn't he?"

I looked over to Samantha Jud, an abnormally small girl for being ten or eleven. Her curly brunette hair was flattened against her shoulder as she leaned on Butch, knees curled up to her chest. She always stuck with him, and he acted as if she was his little sister, though they only met each other on their way to camp. He protected her like his little princess, and if anything were to happen to her… Well, we're not sure what would happen.

I blinked a few times. "Who?"

She looked at me with clear hazel eyes that looked so… so understanding for a girl her age. "Ethan. He hasn't been here for days…" her voice started to waver. "Last year… last year it was Harley. Now Ethan. Pretty soon it'll be you or Levi, or one of us." Tears started to pool in her eyes.

I caught my mouth from hanging open. The others had never said anything about Harley, even when she didn't come back with us last year. And to think that they had been wondering about her this whole time…

"We had thought that… that all of you would never come back when you left." Liana Fowler said, her voice thick as if she had been crying recently, though her eyes had no traces of red in them. "But you did. I'm _sure_ he'll come back again." So much assurance was put into her voice that I couldn't help but feel she actually believed that statement. No one else did. I stared at the Navajo girl, trying to figure out where she got her optimism from. She was always encouraging the other unclaimed, yet had been stuck in the Hermes for longer than most of us. She was already eighteen and still hadn't gotten a sign from one of the Olympians.

From one of the corners, Matthew Webber clinked a few drachmas from hand to hand. "How much do you wanna bet he joined up with the Titans? I put ten drachmas on the table that he did."

I shot a glare at him, but Butch cut me off before I could say that Ethan would never do something like that. "It could be a possibility. That's, uh… that's where Chris headed off to a few weeks ago." He sighed deeply.

I looked around the room, just now realizing that I hadn't seen Chris Rodriguez in a while. I could see Butch's jaw tense up; they had been good friends.

Sitting next to Matthew, his girlfriend Liz poked her head up from under the blankets she was wrapped in, despite the warm air. "You didn't go with him? I… I thought you would have…"

"No. I won't join the opposing army. I stick with the gods, no matter what, but Chris has different views. I tried to talk him out of it, I swear."

Matthew raised an eyebrow. "That's weird."

Butch glared at him from across the room.

"Not that I ever doubted your loyalties. I'm just sayin', the fact you didn't follow your friend into it; that takes strength."

My stomach twisted into a knot. I wish I could have done that—follow Ethan, that is. But why wouldn't he let me? Was he joining the Titans and didn't want me to know? I chewed on my lip, trying to keep the anxiety off my face. It didn't work very well, though.

"So…" Liana pondered out loud. "Is that where Ethan went? To the Titans?"

All heads swiveled towards me and Levi.

"We don't know," Levi said flatly, before I could lie and make up some place he was going.

Samantha's eyebrows knit together. "You don't even have a clue? Because you know, I'm pretty sure the _Princess Andromeda_ just came around again a few days ago to pick up more recruits."

"What?" I spluttered out. "The _what_?"

"The _Princess Andromeda_," Liz shook her head at us. "You don't know what that is?" With a questioning glance from the two of us and a huge yawn from her, she continued. "It's, like, this cruise ship that goes around, picking up monsters and demigods and people and stuff to fight for the Titan army. I'm, like, really surprised that you haven't been offered to go, since all of the undetermined campers have. That's why we don't have as many in here, like, as we used to."

"I-I…"

"So you've never been confronted?" Butch asked, his eyebrows almost to his hairline—if he had any hair, that is.

"N-no… I mean yes, but, uh…" I stumbled over my words, trying to put the broken pieces together.

"What she means is—" Levi cleared his throat. "We were last year, that's the entire reason we left—so we wouldn't have to deal with Luke. But we haven't heard of the _Princess Andromeda_ yet, maybe just because they've given up on recruiting us."

I widened my eyes at him. When did he ever become so organized in his thoughts or even have to speak for me?

Matthew snorted. "They don't just 'give up' like that. They need as many as they can get."

"Yeah…" Levi looked down. "They almost got me…"

"R-really?" Liana looked like she might cry any moment. "I-I… they… I almost joined. They were so convincing—they promised that they would tell me who my father is, since h-he… he doesn't love me enough to…" A single tear spilled over her cheek, and Samantha started bawling into Butch's sleeve. I could even feel my own eyes getting misty.

"Yeah, well, I can't say they didn't almost have me roped in." Matthew looked out the window, refusing to meet any of our eyes. "I just wanted to get back at whoever my mom is… I wanted to see her rot in a hole. The only thing that kept me back was Liz here." He gestured to her, who was now sleeping against his shoulder. A faint smile played on his lips, like he was happy, but his face soured again. "I figure that if the Olympians really do deserve that—well, they'll get what's coming."

"That's the same reason Chris gave me…" Butch gritted out. "But I will _not_ betray my mother. I know she's looking down on me, just waitin' for the right time." He looked up at the ceiling, almost as if he was searching for her.

Liana smiled a little, and gently wiped the tears from her evenly tanned cheeks. "I-I only wish I could have convinced Jamie to do that. I was always telling her that there was a reason we aren't claimed yet, but… she left anyway."

At that moment, the heavy realization of our current state dropped on me like an anvil. So many had left… And I hadn't even paid much attention. On top of Chris and Jamie, I now noticed so many faces hadn't been at camp recently: Marco, Kayla, Solomon, Lydia, Sofie, Thomas… I had been so wrapped up in self pity over losing Ethan, I didn't even bother to care about my extended family. How could I be so selfish…?

Little Samantha rubbed the tears from her eyes roughly, and stared hard at the ground. "I bet… I bet they just want to be heroes."

"Wha?" Liz flung her head up, stirred in her sleep, then promptly landed back onto her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Well, maybe they think that if they join the Titans they'll win, and then they'll get some recognition. Because, you know, as long as we're unclaimed, we'll never be recognized as heroes…" Her face fell once again. "You know, like Percy Jackson is."

"Hah, Percy, a _hero_?" Levi said so suddenly, so bitterly, I almost jumped in my spot next to him. "He has nothing more than a spotlight put on him for returning the stolen items. _Anybody_ could have done that." He laughed with quite a bit of resentment, his smile wavering. It reminded me freakishly of—

"Ethan." Liana shook her head regretfully. "You look so much like Ethan right now. I always tried to help him get over his hatred for the other campers, but he never… he never listened."

Levi's head jerked towards her. "_Ethan_? Don't you _dare_ compare me to Ethan. I am so sick and tired of being measured to him and his actions… I'm my own person you know, not just his _shadow_."

I hadn't seen Levi this moody and harsh since… well, since last summer, when he had almost left us to join the Titans. I know he didn't hate Ethan—he missed him. He was burying his hurting under anger; anger for his place in life, for his sister leaving, for whatever terrible fate came to his father, for everything that had ever happened to him. When I first met Levi, I thought he was just the sarcastic, funny guy because he was just light-hearted in nature. But I was wrong—all that was just to hide his real thoughts and emotions. He was unstable, and until he found the answers he was searching for, he would just get worse and worse in little, random spurts, until he finally snapped. I shook that idea away; what am I thinking? No, Levi won't snap… he won't… he _can't_…

"I-I'm sorry!" Liana put her hands up.

He looked down, like he was regretting his sudden outburst. "No… _I'm_ sorry. I'm sorry for ever being born." He then got up and walked out of the room.

We watched him until his curly red hair was out of sight, and silence set in once again, until Matthew decided to break it. "Well then… can you say dramatic?"

No one responded, and I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm going to go talk to him."

Levi was around the backside of the cabin, glaring up at the glittering stars. In the distance, the campfire was beginning to get smaller, not burning quite as brightly; it would be over soon. I stood next to him, not saying a word.

"I didn't mean any of that, you know." he said quietly.

"I know," I wasn't sure what exactly he was referring to, but I thought it sounded like the best answer.

He kicked a few stones from where he stood. "I don't mean to sound like I hate Ethan, because I don't—I'm just tired of never being recognized. It's hard enough as it is just being unclaimed… we barely even get a name. I mean, look at Heracles, or Jason, or even Theseus. They all knew who their godly parents were, and they all turned out to be heroes."

"But they were all children of one or another of the Big Three. What else do you expect?" The second the words came out of my mouth, I regretted saying it.

Levi's sharp gaze turned on me, his dark green eyes shimmering with hatred. "What, you mean like _Percy_?" He put on a fake admiring smile. "Oh, he's so cool, he saved Olympus one time and now we're all fawning over him!" His face turned stony. "_Please_."

"He never did anything to you," I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why do you hate him so much?"

He turned his eyes away from mine, and put his head down, shaking off my hand. "I don't know, but as long as he continues on with 'hero' front, I'm not going to like him, and neither should you. The people like me and you—we'll never be recognized as doing anything great. We'll never amount up to anything more than unloved nobodies."

* * *

><p>Dreams.<p>

Dreams are never a good thing for demigods, especially when you search for them and none come. Some would say I was blessed—not having to deal with nightmares that were really bad omens was any demigod's dream, but at that time, I wished my nights weren't so restful. Really, I tried to find Ethan in my dreams, something Lee would sometimes talk about—locating people through sleep—but I came up with nothing. It hurt, not knowing where one of the only friends I have was, or to even know if he was okay. At least I knew where Harley had been this whole time—she was with the Hunters of Artemis, safe and sound. If anything were to happen to her, I'm sure someone would let me know. That didn't really help my conscience though—the last time we had spoken, right before she joined the Hunt, we hadn't left off on the best foot. I had let her go coldly, and I've regretted it every day since. Ethan, however, was an entirely different problem, and Levi knew that well enough, too.

The next morning at breakfast, Vanessa smiled at me as I shuffled into the dining pavilion, but I wasn't sure if I still wanted to meet her later. I wasn't sure I had the heart to tell her that Levi wasn't doing well, and I probably wouldn't find anything out for awhile. But I ignored the sick feeling in my stomach and waved as I sat down.

Regular morning foods were served just like everyday—fluffy eggs, golden pancakes and waffles, you know, that kind of stuff—but I wasn't feeling very hungry. I took an extra moment at the brazier as my food burned up into sweet-smelling fumes. I closed my eyes and breathed in the smoke.

_Mother… I don't know who you are, but I know that you've heard my heart crying out to you every single day. Please, I want to know—who are you? Please! I'm not sure how much longer I can take not knowing. If… if not me, then Levi, or someone else, please I beg of you to convince one of the others up there to claim their children, so they can stop feeling the pain we go through every day. We just want to know…_

My eyes opened as I recognized someone rocking me back and forth from my shoulder, like they were trying to wake me up. I looked into Liana's concerned face, and let her take me back to the table.

"C'mon, you were standing there for some time. We don't want people staring."

I nodded, and sat in between Levi and Rosie. She could tell I was upset, but she didn't ask any questions. I looked at the scars lining her neck, still wondering what happened to her that took her voice away. It must've been hard, not being able to speak… At least she was claimed, though.

I thought back onto my prayer, wondering what it would be like if the others got claimed before me. I remember when Hermes recognized Rosie as his daughter a week or two ago after ten months of her being here—she was so happy. But I also remember the bitterness and jealousy that rose up inside of me; I had to work hard to fight it off. I didn't want any hard feelings toward one of my good friends. But I wonder… if any of the others that I'm not as close to—Matthew or Liz or even Samantha—if I would be able to keep resentment from clouding my mind. I started to rethink about asking my mother to work on getting the others determined, purely out of a self-absorbed mindset.

At that moment, a cold, heavy feeling settled on my heart. I had never known what my fatal flaw was, and therefore could never control it. Was… was selfishness it? Me, just wanting to keep us all together so _I_ could be happy, or not wanting others to get claimed so _I_ wouldn't be jealous? I could feel my face turning red out of embarrassment. Out of all flaws to have, why _that_ one? Suddenly I realized how easy it was for Kronos to manipulate me; I was such a fool for even thinking about joining. I shook my head, trying to focus on my food, but that didn't make me hungry. I needed to get my priorities straight, before I actually _did_ decide to join.

* * *

><p>Despite not being in the mood to do anything but mope, I met Vanessa at the Big House a few hours later. We sat down at a table on the deck, but before we could start talking, Clarisse charged up the wooden patio stairs, with the Stolls, Silena Beauregard, Annabeth, Beckendorf, and a few others in tow.<p>

"What's going on?" I stopped Lee, who was one of the last ones to go inside.

He looked around, a slightly worried expression on his face. "Just a counselor's meeting… nothing to worry about, nothing at all!" He laughed nervously and ducked through the doorway before I could ask any more questions.

Vanessa blinked. "That was… Okay, never mind." She turned her gaze to me, but I was still staring at the last place Lee had been standing, confused as to why he had acted like that. "Uh, Shiloh? Hellooo?"

I turned back to her, realizing she was calling my name. "Huh?"

She motioned for me to sit down across from her, and she put on her "business" face. "So. What did he say?"

"Who?"

She laughed, a cute little giggle that she always gives when something's apparent, or when she doesn't get her way, or when something doesn't make sense to her, or—well, the one she used most of the time. "Levi, silly! It looks like your mind is still stuck with your little boyfriend!" She giggled again.

That caught my attention. "W-wait. No. He's _not_ my—"

"Yeah, yeah, just keep telling yourself that," She smiled teasingly. "But really, what did he say?"

I had to dig around to remember what exactly I was supposed to be focused on. "Oh, yeah! _That_. Um… well…" I pursed my lips, trying to figure out how to put things. "Levi is, um… he's having a hard time right now, you know, with—"

"Being unclaimed?" she said before I finished my sentence.

"What? No! I meant with life. Nothing about feeling unloved and unwanted and you know, everything that entails undetermined demigods and whatnot…"

She had a sympathetic look on her face. "Shiloh, if you guys are having issues, you can always tell me about it. In fact, Isabella—" she choked out the name, but regained her composure immediately. "—uh, she and I were both stuck in the Hermes cabin for an entire year before Aphrodite claimed us. I know what it's like to be wondering all the time."

I didn't respond, but only chipped away at the red paint on the table with my thumbnail.

Vanessa sighed. "You know what, let's do something more interesting."

"Like what? Spy on the counselor meeting to see what the problem is?" I said, more or less jokingly, but it seemed she didn't take it that way.

"Precisely my thoughts!" A mischievous look played out on her face, disturbingly close to that of a Hermes child.

I raised my eyebrows. "Fine. Besides, eavesdropping helps me to feel… closer to Harley, in a way." I smiled for the first time that afternoon.

Vanessa nodded, and we opened the door, trying to keep the squeaking down. Our steps were light, but thankfully the thin lay-down carpet muted the sound quite a bit. As we neared the rec. room, the deep voice of Beckendorf became clearer.

"—we managed to get trackers on it the last time it came around, and it seems that the ship is travelling this way, along the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, around India—" He continued to follow the rout of something, until it came back to Camp Half-Blood. "So it seems that it's coming back through Long Island every two weeks."

Vanessa and I held our breaths as silence ensued, until Katie Gardner's voice spoke up. "So… what are we supposed to do about it? Just sit around as it picks up more demigods and monsters?"

"Maybe we could blow it up?" Beckendorf suggested, but the doubtful murmurs from the group knocked that idea out.

"As we realize already, this is a large threat to us," Chiron said slowly. "But we must _not_ make any rash decisions when it comes to the issue of how to deal with the _Princess Andromeda_."

I sucked in a sharp breath, and Vanessa looked at me, confused. So the others _do_ know about the ship…

"I thought blowing it up sounded like a good idea," Clarisse grumbled. "But if you don't think a direct assault is the best idea, we could always send in spies."

"Woah," Travis—or was it Connor?—cut in. "A child of Ares thinking to go for thought-out deception? I guess miracles do happen every day!"

"You better watch your—" Clarisse growled as it sounded like she was getting out of her chair. The scuffling noise stopped as soon as the feminine voice of Silena cut in.

"I think sending a spy or two in sounds like a wonderful idea!"

The room behind the wall we were pressed against automatically exploded in arguing, campers quarrelling about the solution. Beckendorf still seemed stuck on the idea of blowing it up, while some took sides.

"Silence!" Chiron hit something on the table, and the demigods all stopped at the loud noise. "I do believe that Miss la Rue has a good point. Sending a spy in sounds most wise."

Though I couldn't see it, I was sure the Ares girl had an extremely smug look on her face.

"Eyes on the inside should prove to be helpful; we never know when they could do the same."

A thick silence ensued, the thought of an enemy spy inside of camp leaving a restless feeling on them.

"I… I don't think we should risk it." Annabeth broke the quiet. "I mean, if our man on the inside gets caught… we can only imagine what they'll do to him." It was easy to note how she carefully picked her words, using 'they' instead of 'Luke.'

"Princess, I don't think you realize this, but war is all about making sacrifices." Clarisse spoke gruffly. "I would get used to it now, if I were you."

"Yeah, but… what if I were to do it?"

Shocked silence.

"Why you? We all know Luke would never buy it!" One of the Stolls laughed.

"You don't know that!" Annabeth yelled, surprising a few people. "You never knew Luke the way I—" She stopped suddenly and stared at the person now standing in the doorway—me.

"Get back here!" Vanessa hissed, but I ignored her.

"I… I think I know the right people to send on a mission like this," I gulped. All eyes were on me.

Lee widened his eyes at me, shaking his, trying to motion at me to leave.

"What do you think you're doing here, listening in on a meeting you have no business at!" Clarisse bellowed.

"We don't _need_ your input, there's a reason we only invite the counselors to war meetings." Annabeth's voice was like steel, her eyes the same color.

"Besides, I don't think an undetermined demigod should be able to give suggestions on what we do." Katie crossed her arms over her chest. "They don't have authority in _anything_ as it is, much less important stuff like this."

I tried my best to keep on a determined face, trying not to let that remark sting too much. Maybe this was a bad idea…

"No, no, I think we should let her put in her comments on the subject," Silena looked at me kindly. "Besides, if she even had the courage to show up here, we should at least _listen_."

A few of the campers opened there mouths to object, but Chiron put his hand up and motioned for me to go on. Lee only put a hand on his face, looking like he was trying to pretend I wasn't there.

I took a deep breath, remembering the conversation from last night. "W-well, I think we should send in spies—"

"We've already established that," Annabeth interrupted rudely.

I tried to keep my composure, but she was really starting to get to me. "As I was _saying_, I think we should send in spies, but they should be, er…"

_Because, you know, as long as we're unclaimed, we'll never be recognized as heroes…_ Samantha's words played through my head. Maybe, just maybe I could prove that statement wrong, but I still wasn't sure how all the others would respond.

"…unclaimed." I finished the statement. Shocked gazes stared at me, and Annabeth shot up in her chair.

"No! Absolutely _not_!"

"Annabeth, please—" Vanessa was now standing next to me, trying to defend what I was saying, though it seemed she had no clue as to why I had confidence in this plan.

"I said _no_. Unclaimed campers don't even have nearly as much as experience as we do, and don't even _deserve_ to go on crazily important missions like this!"

The second the words came out of her mouth, all the surprised looks turned on her.

"Harsh…" Connor murmured loud enough for all of us to hear. "I don't even think that _I_ would say something as crude as that."

Tears stung my eyes, but I didn't object—I couldn't. As much as I hate to admit it, I was scared of Annabeth. She was so much smarter, braver, more experienced than I could ever be, and I most definitely didn't want to get on her bad side. I hung my head, and turned to go.

"Wait," the Athena camper took a slow, deep breath, like she was trying to control her patience. I glared back at her, but didn't say anything. "I didn't mean that. I… I just think that if I were to go, I could convince Luke to…" her voice trailed off and she sat back down.

She didn't say sorry for calling me useless, or even admit she wrong for saying such a cruel thing, but I could almost understand how she felt. If it were Ethan or Levi or even Harley that were on the opposing team… well, I would do whatever it took to get them back. Of course, that didn't make me like her.

"Well, if you all are sending Annabeth, I guess I'll just be leaving…" I turned, but was stopped once again.

"No, don't leave—not just yet." Beckendorf said. "I want to know why you think we should send unclaimed campers."

That didn't make me feel any better, but I still told them about how Luke was specifically targeting those who didn't know who their godly parents were, and would be more likely to believe any stories we could come up with. I didn't care to mention how bitter some of us were against the gods, but I figured they kind of got that from the intent expressions. Well, except for Annabeth; she had been staring at the ping-pong table the entire time.

"So… that's why I think it would be best."

Leaning back in his wheelchair, Chiron seemed to be pondering this through and through. "I do believe she has a point, but I feel that—if we _do_ even use this method—it should be used as a backup plan."

Many of the others bobbed their heads up and down, even Clarisse.

"Let all in favor make it known by a yea!"

"Yea…" The majority of the campers said, not much enthusiasm in their voices.

"Those not in favor with a nay!"

"…"

Chiron nodded at me. "I would suggest bringing only a few close others you know you can trust, and we will let you know when the time comes to send you off—if it ever even comes. Still, be ready."

I nodded.

"And all of you, do not speak of this to anybody, understand?"

They nodded, and Chiron hit an empty cup against the table. "Council dismissed."

The others passed me without a word, not even a reassuring glance. As Lee brushed by, he shook his head. "I hope you're not getting in over your head, Shiloh. I really do."

I flashed him a smile. "Of course I'm not, don't worry about me."

But I was, and I realized it at that moment. At least we had a plan, though.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sooo... I decided it was time to bring in other unclaimed campers, since I seriously _never_ touched on them before. Stupid me... Anywho, now can you see where the plot is going? ;D**

**Thanks for the reviews, guys, they keep my spirits up.**


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